This file is provided for reference purposes only. It was current when produced, but is no longer maintained and may now be outdated. Please select www.ovc.gov to access current information.

1997-98 Academy Text Supplement

Chapter 1

The Scope of Violent Crime and Victimization

Statistical Overview

"The victimization rates in 1996 are the lowest recorded by the National Crime Victimization
Survey since its inception in 1973." (Chaiken, Jan M., Director, Bureau of Justice Statistics. (1997,
November 15). From press release announcing the results of the 1996 National Crime Victimization Survey.
Washington, DC: Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.)

The nation's violent crime rate fell 10 percent between 1995 and 1996 and was 16 percent
lower than in 1993. Overall property crime was down more than eight percent in 1996 and
was 17 percent lower than in 1993. (Ibid.)

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics' (BJS) National Crime Victimization Survey
data released in November, 1997, U.S. residents age 12 or older experienced approximately
37 million crimes in 1996. Of these victimizations, 27.3 million involved property crimes
against households; 9.1 million involved the violent crimes of rape, robbery, and assault; and
0.3 million involved personal thefts such as purse snatching. (Bureau of Justice Statistics. (1997,
November). "Criminal Victimization 1996: Changes 1995-96 with Trends 1993-96," NCJ-165812. National
Crime Victimization Survey. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.)

Translated into the number of violent and property crimes per 1,000 persons or households,
crime rates for 1996 show 42 violent victimizations per 1,000 persons and 266 property
crimes per 1,000 households. (Ibid.)

According to BJS, the total number of estimated personal and household victimizations has
fallen in each year since 1992, except for 1993, despite increases in the U.S. population:

1992 42,834,000 1995 38,446,000

1993 43,547,000 1996 36,796,000 (Ibid.)

1994 42,362,000

Preliminary findings from the Bureau of Justice Statistics' (BJS) National Crime
Victimization Survey show that U.S. residents age 12 or older experienced approximately
39.6 million crimes in 1995: twenty-nine million (74%) were property crimes; 9.9 million
(25%) were crimes of violence; and (1%) were personal thefts. (Bureau of Justice Statistics.
(1997). Statistics About Crime and Victims, Preliminary Findings from Sourcebook of Criminal Justice
Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.)

Between 1994 and 1995 the violent crime rate -- rape, robbery, and assault -- dropped 12.4
percent. The decline was the largest since BJS conducted the first National Crime
Victimization Survey in 1973. (Bureau of Justice Statistics. (1997, April 13). "Changes in Criminal
Victimization 1994-95." BJS Press Release. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.)

It is important to note that according to BJS, personal victimization rates for the oldest and
youngest age groups declined less than for those in the intermediate ages. (Ibid.)

Urban areas have typically recorded the highest levels of violent victimizations and rural
areas the lowest, but the broadest decline in violent offenses during 1995 was in the suburbs,
where there were significant declines in all types of personal victimizations except rape and
sexual assault. (Ibid.)

Overall, total personal victimizations declined 13 percent and household property
victimizations fell 9.1 percent. There were 44.5 violent victimizations -- rapes and other
sexual assaults, robberies, and assaults -- per 1,000 people 12 years old and older, the lowest
since 1992. (Ibid.)

Among personal crimes against U.S. residents age 12 and older during 1995, the rate of
aggravated assault fell 24.1 percent, simple assaults declined 7.1 percent, and personal thefts
fell by 26.1 percent. (Ibid.)

Among household crimes in 1995, the rate of burglary dropped 12.9 percent and household
thefts fell by 8.4 percent. Motor vehicle theft was the only type of crime for which there was
no statistically significant change. (Ibid.)

Interpreting Crime Statistics

The crime statistics summarized above are from the Department of Justice National Crime
Victimization Survey, conducted annually by the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Each year, BJS
interviews 100,000 people aged 12 or older about crimes they experienced during the previous six
months. The survey includes both crimes reported to police and those that go unreported. Because
the BJS survey includes unreported crime, there are differences between data collected by the BJS
survey and FBI's Uniform Crime Reports, which are based on police reports of crime.

Summary of FBI Crime Statistics

Serious reported crime in the United States declined three percent in 1996, the fifth annual
decrease in a row. The overall drop resulted from a seven percent decline in violent crime
and a three-percent decrease in property crime, compared to the previous year. (FBI National
Press Office. (1997, June 1). Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report. Washington, DC: U.S.
Department of Justice.)

In the category of violent crime, murder showed the greatest decline -- 11 percent, followed
by robbery at eight percent, aggravated assault at six percent, and forcible rape at three
percent. (Ibid.)

Among property crimes, burglary and motor vehicle theft each registered a five percent
decrease. Larceny/theft fell by two percent, and arson remained unchanged. (Ibid.)

By region, the West recorded an eight percent decrease in serious crime, the Northeast a
seven percent decline, and the Midwest a two percent drop. Serious crimes in the South
increased two percent over last year's total. Violent crime fell nine percent in both the
Northwest and the West, eight percent in the Midwest, and two percent in the South. (Ibid.)

Cities in all population groups in the nation reported declines in serious crime. The largest
decrease -- six percent -- was reported by cities with populations over one million, followed
by a five percent decrease in cities with populations ranging from 50,000 to 99,999. Rural
counties showed a three percent decline from the 1995 level, and suburban counties
registered a two percent drop. (Ibid.)

Of the 580,545 robberies committed during 1995, the robbing of commercial or financial
establishments comprised 21 percent of all robbery cases; whereas, the largest percentage of
robberies (54 percent) were committed against individual citizens on America's streets and
highways. (Federal Bureau of Investigation. (1996, October). Crime in the U.S., Uniform Crime Reports,
1995. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.)

Victimization rates of men exceed those of women in all violent crime categories except for
rape and sexual assault. (Ibid.)

The overall costs of property crime are staggering. In 1995, there were 12,068,358 property
offenses committed for a total estimated dollar loss of $15.5 billion. Of these figures:
580,545 robberies were committed in 1995 with an estimated dollar loss of $507 million;
2,594,995 burglaries with an estimated dollar loss of $3.3 billion; 8,000,631 larcenies/thefts
with an estimated dollar loss of $4.3 billion; and 1,472,732 motor vehicle thefts with an
estimated loss of $7.6 million. (Ibid.)

In the United States, according to the FBI, on average there is:

One murder every 24 minutes.

One forcible rape every five minutes.

One robbery every 54 seconds.

One aggravated assault every 29 seconds.

One violent crime every 18 seconds.

One property crime every three seconds.

One larceny/theft every four seconds.

One burglary every 12 seconds.

One motor vehicle theft every 21 seconds.

(Ibid.)

The Cost of Crime

In February of 1996, the National Institute of Justice released the first comprehensive report on the
cost of victimization, utilizing sources well beyond those related to Uniform Crime Reports. As a
result of the data gathered from criminal justice agencies, medical professionals, hospitals, insurance
companies, mental health professionals, crime victim compensation programs, and crime victims,
there is significant information about the immediate, short-term, and long-term financial impact of
victimization. Highlights of the study's findings include:

Personal crime is estimated to cost $105 billion annually in medical costs, lost
earnings and public program costs related to victim assistance. When pain, suffering,
and the reduced quality of life are assessed, the costs of personal crime increase to
an estimated $450 billion annually. Violent crime results in lost wages equivalent to
one percent of American earnings.

(Ibid.)

Overall, rape has the highest annual victim costs at $127 billion per year (excluding
child sex abuse), followed by assault at $93 billion, murder (excluding arson and
drunk driving) at $61 billion, and child abuse at $56 billion.

(Ibid.)

As much as 10 to 20 percent of mental health care expenditures in the United States
may be attributable to crime, primarily for victims treated as a result of their
victimization. These estimates do not include any treatment for perpetrators of
violence.

(Ibid.)

Summary of Additional Data:

During 1996, losses estimated at nearly $500 million were attributed to robberies.
The value of property stolen averaged $929 per robbery, up from $873 in 1995.
Average dollar losses in 1996 ranged from $487 taken during robberies of gas or
service stations to $4,207 per bank robbery.

The dollar value of property stolen in connection with property crimes in 1996 was
estimated at over $15 billion. The average loss per offense in 1996 was $1,274,
slightly more than the 1995 figure of $1,251.

(Ibid., p. 36)

In 1996, larceny/theft offenses accounted for 67 percent of all property crimes.
Burglary accounted for 21 percent and motor vehicle theft for 12 percent of all
property crimes.

(Ibid., p. 36)

Based on information from 11,250 law enforcement agencies, nearly 77,000 arson
offenses were reported in 1996. The average dollar loss of property damaged due
to reported arsons was $10,280.

(Ibid., p. 36)

Four out of five gunshot victims are on public assistance or uninsured, costing
taxpayers an estimated 4.5 billion dollars a year.

(U.S. News and World Report, July 1,
1996.)

Violent crime causes three percent of U.S. medical spending and 14 percent of
injury-related medical spending.

(Ibid.)

Insurers pay $45 billion annually due to crime -- roughly $265 per American adult.
The U.S. government pays $8 billion annually for restorative and emergency services
to victims, plus perhaps one-fourth of the $11 billion in health insurance payments.

(Ibid.)

The Physical Impact of Violence

Increasingly, attention is being focused upon the impact of violent crime on our nation's health care
system. The following statistics relate to the treatment of victims' physical injuries related to violent
crime:

(Headen, S. (1996, July 1). "Guns
Money, and Medicine." U.S. News and World Report.)

Insurers pay $45 billion annually due to crime -- roughly $265 per American adult.
The government pays $8 billion annually for restorative and emergency services to
victims, plus perhaps one-fourth of the $11 billion in health insurance payments.

(Ibid.)

Victims pay about $44 billion of the $57 billion in tangible non-service expenses for
traditional crimes of violence. Employers pay almost $5 billion because of these
crimes (health insurance bills, sick leave and disability insurance), and government
bears the remaining costs through lost tax revenues and Medicare and Medicaid
payments.

(Ibid.)

Four out of five gunshot victims are on public assistance or uninsured, costing
taxpayers an estimated 4.5 billion dollars a year.

(Ibid.)

Violence-related Injuries Treated in Hospital Emergency Rooms

In August of 1997, the Bureau of Justice Statistics released a Bulletin entitled Violence-Related
Injuries Treated in Hospital Emergency Departments, which presented findings from a study
conducted using the Consumer Product Safety Commission's National Electronic Injury Surveillance
System (NEISS) program of violence-related injuries treated in hospital emergency departments in
1994. These findings, as reported in the Bulletin, include the following:

During 1994, U.S. hospital emergency departments (EDs) treated an estimated 1.4
million people for injuries from confirmed or suspected interpersonal violence. The
study found that 94 percent of the persons treated for intentional or possibly
intentional injuries sustained those injuries in an assault. About 31 percent of those
injured during an assault -- or 29 percent of all of those injured -- indicated being
injured during a fight. Two percent were injured during a completed or attempted
robbery, and five percent were injured by an offender during a completed or
attempted rape or sexual assault.

Three-fifths of all persons treated in EDs for injuries sustained in violence were male.
Persons under age 25 comprised about half of those treated in EDs for violence-related injuries.

Patients treated as a result of confirmed (1.3 million) or suspected (82,000) violence
represented a total of 1.5 percent of all visits to hospital ED's and 3.6 percent of the
injury-related ED visits in 1994.

Of all persons treated for violence-related injuries: seven percent had been injured by
a spouse or ex-spouse; 10 percent by a current or former boyfriend or girlfriend;

eight percent by a parent, child, sibling, or other relative; 23 percent by a friend or
acquaintance; and 23 percent by strangers. In almost 30 percent of all cases in the
study, the relationship of the person inflicting the injury to the patient was not
recorded for the study.

A higher percentage of women than men were treated for injuries inflicted by an
intimate partner -- a current or former spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend. Men were
much more likely than women to be treated for injuries caused by acquaintances or
strangers.

It is important to note that the estimated number of persons treated in EDs for
injuries inflicted by intimate partners was four times higher than estimates from the
National Crime Victimization Survey.

People injured in violence were treated for a variety of injuries: 34 percent for
bruises or similar injuries; 31 percent for cuts, stab wounds, or internal injuries; 17
percent for fractures, sprains, dislocations, dental injuries, or other muscular/skeletal
injuries; five percent for gunshot injuries; five percent for rapes/other sexual assaults;
four percent for concussions or other head injuries; and five percent for other
injuries.

Perceptions of Neighborhood Crime

In April of 1998, the Bureau of Justice Statistics within the U.S. Department of Justice released a
special report entitled Perceptions of Neighborhood Crime, 1995. The following data are from this
report:

In 1995, seven percent of U.S. households identified crime as a neighborhood
problem.

Over a 10-year period between 1985-1995, the percentage of households saying that
crime was a problem reached 7.4 percent in 1991 and remained relatively constant
through 1995.

Black, central city, and renter households were more likely than other types of
households to identify crime as a neighborhood problem.

Twenty-five percent of black public housing households and 13 percent of white
public housing households reported crime as a neighborhood problem in 1995.

The researchers noted that the public's perceptions of crime vulnerability generally reflected the
actual likelihood of criminal victimization. For example:

From 1992 to 1995, a higher percentage of black households than white households
had experienced non-lethal violent crime.

In 1995, about nine percent of black urban households were victimized by violent
crime compared to seven percent of white urban households.

Also in 1995, eight percent of public housing households were victimized by violent
crime compared to six percent of non-public housing households.